BOBO
about:‘bobo’ is a live performance created as part of Suzana Phialas artistic research project ’T:me B’ during her 2 year residency program ‘Moving the New’ at Dance House Lemesos (2018-20). During the residency she has developed a series of interdisciplinary experimental works such as performances, art-videos, photography and installation works. Suzana was selected as the finalist artist from the 2019 residency by Dance House Lemesos artistic director Alexis Vasiliou and the residency’s dramaturg and mentor Rodia Vomvolou to exhibit work from her research during the 11th ‘Open House Festival’ at Limassol Municipal Arts Center, Papadakis Warehouses in October 2020.concept:‘bobo’ is an unusual performance piece where a body builder obsessively poses and shows off his body and muscle power. The performance unfolds parallel to Tchaikovsky’s classical music piece Op.71-Pas De Deux from 'The Nutcracker’. Overall, ‘bobo’ is a performance that is especially designed to be performed in a small gallery space where the performer and the viewer are on the same floor level and within close intimate distance. The use of the body builder, his extreme posing and facial expressions is set to accentuate the meaning of self-image competition and give an ironic reading and burlesque view of the act of posing. I am interested in investigating the “pose”, of seeing and being seen, along with themes related to the obsession with the external image, reputation and particular naivety of the idea of image creation.As one of the methodologies used within the research a survey was conducted. This survey included photos of a body builder. Below the photos were the words: beautiful, powerful, strong, repulsive, masculine, sexy, perfect, hyper, ideal, none of the above. The greatest majority of the people who took the survey had selected the words: repulsive (32%) and ugly (48%). The final step in the survey showed a photo of 5 male body types (from skinny to super built) compared side by side. The question was: ‘which body do you find more appealing?’ Though previously they considered the Body builder’s body as repulsive and ugly when having to choose from the 5 body types 64% of them chose the body which is one step below the body builder’s. They chose the body type we are used to seeing in the well known Calvin Klein ads and most men’s underwear ads; a prominent 6pack, blown chest arms and legs, generally, the dream male model body type many strive for.The above survey validated the fact that external stereotypical images which are exposed over and over through media, commercials and so on, have become an influence (many times unconscious) of our view of what is acceptable and desirable even though such images may be unachievable in reality. The need for uniformity, the ideal prototype with no faults, the obsession with the self-image and the validation of selfhood seem to be a constant goal by many that gets adopted in everydayness. Thinking that we choose normality we may discover that this normality may be hyper and unnatural such as the body of a body builder.
LIVE PERFORMANCEConcept-Creation-Direction: Suzana Phialas
Performance: Stavros DE
Advisor: Pavlos Vrionides
Mentoring: Rania Glymitsa
lighting-photography: Pavlos Vrionides
production: Suzana Phialas
premiere @ 9th ‘Open House Festival’
venue - Limassol Municipal Arts Center - Papadakis Warehouses